I think that sometimes you don´t need to name your country all the time to let people know that you are proud of it. Personally I don´t try to say ARGENTINA all the time, cos it will be annoying to say ARGENTINA if I don´t have the need to say ARGENTINA if we are not talking about ARGENTINA...... right? PS: ARGENTINA!

Personaly I've always been a little bit "mad" at him for having left Wales. :angry2: I feel it's like a treason to leave your country for another one. I'm sorry, that's me. :mrgreen: Everyone has the right to have his own ideas and live his own life. :) But to me, Ioan just doesn't "care" about Wales. Or doesn't care ANYMORE. But it's OK, as I just said. :)

The problem with that is - if he never left Wales, he never would have gone to RADA and might still be doing TV only in Wales in Welsh. The Welsh I'm sure would be very happy, but we would be missing out on a lot. Should we never leave our birthplace? If that were the case, I should be in Texas, a state I lived in for two weeks or Indiana where my parents grew up. I have great fondness for Indiana and visit relatives there when I can, but living there would have meant a totally different career and life. I also love California after having lived there nearly forty years. I still root for the Angels and like to visit when I can. But would I have missed the opportunity to come live where I am now. Not for a single moment! I've moved 33 times in my life. Believe me, moving to a new place doesn't mean you forget the old, in fact I think it makes you to cherish certain things about the old place even more. Sorry, I hope that doesn't sound too much like a lecture, but from everything Ioan has said, he loves Wales. He may not carry his Welsh flag anymore or talk about it all the time, but he has also grown up and likely become more secure in his idenity, so he doesn't feel the need to do either of those anymore. I do believe there is an interview where he talks about some of the things he said when he was younger.

I understand what you mean, GG, and I agree with you. It is obvious that much depends on what you want to do with your life, but refusing to leave the place you were born or grew up in can have you miss interesting opportunities. And who said your forget your origins, if you move somewhere else? Had Ioan never left Wales, we would very likely never known he exists, wouldn't we? (Can you imagine it? No Ioan as Hornblower or Lancelot?)

But what is the problem with having a positive attitude and enjoying where you are currently located? I'm sure there are things about L.A. that he doesn't like,(I could name a few) but why concentrate on that and end up miserable. Most people (actors included) talk about what is currently happening for them. When he relates an anecdote that happened in Wales or London from ten years ago, people complain that they've heard it before and differently. So instead, he talks about where he is currently. A while back, he mentions a beach named Cardiff by the Sea that reminded him of Wales and how beautiful it was. And then, he made the sin of saying it was nicer than the beaches in Cardiff, Wales. That got blown up into - he doesn't like Wales any more. He was just being honest about one of the advantages of living in California. Cardiff and the surrounding area has gorgeous beaches, the water is relatively warm and the weather great for a large portion of the year. When did it become a crime to say that there are advantages to one place over your hometown? It doesn't mean you like the former location any less.

And perhaps it has also to do with what he is being asked. I have a lot of foreign friends who say they keep being asked how they like it here before being asked to tell about the country they are originally from and I lost count of the times this happened to me when abroad.

Somehow,I've got a hunch that Ioan is just as patriotic and endearing of his home country as he ever has been;but,since he has chosen to live here in the US,he adopts this country fondly as well. He hasn't abandoned his roots! I don't think anyone ever really totally does that. He's most likely embracing the idea of 'you can take the boy out of Wales;but,you can't take the Wales out of the boy.' Unless he someday goes out of his mind,he's going to remember his foundations and upbringing in his homeland. I'm sure glad he's in the US,but know that he seems to still regard his native country with affection and pride, much as I would do,if I chose to go to Wales to live, for whatever reason(s).

Exactly!. And Frances - I totally agree that it is likely journalists are asking him about how he likes L.A. If they are from Britain or elsewhere, they would want stories from what is seen as a unique place. If they are from the U.S., they want to hear how he likes it here. It makes more sense about asking him about the past.

BTW, I've just had a friend of mine on the phone, who is originally from Tennessee, but she's been living in Italy for 19 years. She told me that she actually talk much more about Italy than the USA, but this is not because she is not proud to be American - she is -, it is because she has much more to say about life and work in Italy than in the USA, after almost 20 years here.

Two Ioan Mentions. The First: a very slight one, but I posted it here cause a post in Derailed Thought would be abit too much. :) Nia Roberts (EDITED: the movie with Mattie? May this be the one we herd of at the beginning of 2008)? http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/feature-news/fashion-lifestyle/2008/06/13/the-wm-interview-nia-roberts-91466-21066426/ The Second: Justine Wadell and her GE experience and "Kissing Ioan": ********* So what's it like kissing Ioan Gruffudd? 'Well, after the seventh take, the thrill wears off,' she says, witheringly. ********* http://visionsofjustinewaddell.blogspot.com/2008/06/harpers-and-queen-april-2000.html

Get Your Party Gown Get Your Pigtails Down Get You Heart Beating Baby Got Your Timing Right Got My Act All Tight It's Gonna Be Tonight Ioan attends Chris's Birhday Party. :) ******** Fantastic Four star Chris Evans, celebrating his 27th birthday with a celeb-filled bash at the Stone Rose inside Los Angeles' Sofitel Hotel. The actor was a gracious host at his Lucid Absinthe-sponsored soiree, making the rounds in the VIP room and chatting as guests like costar Ioan Gruffudd and Amy Smart arrived. Evans looked handsome and rugged, a partygoer says, sporting that "haven't shaved in a few" look, which he complemented with an equally dressed-down (but fashionable) baseball cap and jeans. ********* http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20206255,00.html

Yes, given what a party animal Welshboy is, I fear we'd be seeing rather a lot of that refrain! :roll: Isn't there a smiley/emoticon you could use instead, annee?